What is a paella or paella pan?

"Paella" is a Valencian word that means "pan" and refers to the container with which the well-known recipe it gives its name to is made. In this short post we explain what is the paella or paella pan, what are its main features and where you can buy it.

What is the paella or paella pan?

The paella is a kind of pan usually made of iron or steel, wide and with two small handles, it has little depth and large surface. Its depth is usually no more than 5 or 6 centimeters and its diameter varies according to the number of diners. For this reason there are a large number of different sizes of paella, from 10cm to 200cm in diameter. Although there are even larger paellas used in multitudinous events such as fairs and other festivals.

This shape of the paella, a proportion between diameter and depth so large is not accidental, since for a correct cooking of the rice it is necessary that the grains receive heat in a similar way, and therefore it is very important that the rice is distributed throughout the paella in a thin layer.

Is a paella pan necessary to cook paella?

If you ask a Valencian they will always say yes. As mentioned above, the special shape of the paella pan is necessary for the rice to cook properly. This shape ensures that the rice cooks evenly in one layer.

Where to buy a paella or paella pan?

In Colono you can buy an authentic paella or paella pan made in Valencia with which you can cook to perfection recipes such as Paella Valenciana, Black Rice or Fideuá.